Burial-casket.



E. W.` HARTMAN. BURIAL GASKET.-

` APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6, 1916. 192344'7@ Patented July 24C, 1917.

l wm @wwwa :BURIAL-GASKET.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

ratenteaaniy at, fait.

Application led November 6, 1916. Serial No. 129,638.

T0 all whom #may concern:

Be it known that I, EMANUEL W. HART- MAN, a citizen 'of the United States, residing at Houston, in the county of Harris and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Burial-Gaskets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in a burial casket and more particularly to a monolithic casket which is comparatively light in weight and which has much greater strength in proportion to its weight than composition caskets now in use.

The object of the invention is to provide a casket of the character described which will not require a heavy frame buty which will have reinforced walls formed of a light plastic composition which, when it sets or hardens, will be of great strength and of minimum weight for the degree of strength re uired.

other feature of the invention resides in the provision of a means whereby the lid may be so secured upon the casket proper as to make the same air and water tight.

-A still further feature of the invention resides in the provision of molding, embedded in the inner walls of the casket to which the fabric lining thereof may be secured.

With the above and other objects in view, the-invention has particular relation to certain novel features of construction, arrangement of parts and use, an example of which isgivenvin this specication and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of the casket. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof showing the composition removed at one end to eX ose the reinforcement.

ig. 3 is a transverse sectional view thereof, and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse sectional view thereof.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings wherein like numerals of reference designate similar parts in each of the figures, the numeral 1 refers to the body of the casket and the numeral 2 designates the lid. The casket comprises cementitious or plastic covering of suitable composition possessing lightness and strength and includes a vframe therefor, said frame consisting of reinforcing baskets 3 and 4 of wire mesh, the lbody b asket 3 being formed from a s111- then placed on the casket said cement formgle piece of woven wire fabric to form a bottom, sides and ends and having its rim bent outwardly to form a continuous flange 5 and the lid basket l being formed of a single piece of Woven wire fabric substan"I tially similar to the body basket but shallower and also having its rim bent outwardly as at 6 to form a continuous flange xtelznding over the flange 5 of the body as iet. The wires of these respective baskets are interwoven so as to be fixed against movementv relative to each other, thus producing two reinforcing units or flanges around which the composition forming the body 1 and lid 2 is cast. This construction produces a casket as light or lighter than the ordinary casket constructed of hard wood, but much stronger. V

The body portion is formed with lengthwise wooden molding as 7 along the sides thereof and along opposite edges of the bottom to which the lining 8 may be secured and the composition follows the flanges 5 and 6 of the frame work, the flange around the upper edge of the body portion being provided with a groove 9 all the way around and the lid flange has a rib 10 of the same contour which fits into said groove, the bottom of the groove being provided with a yieldable seal 11 against which saidfrib contacts to form an air and water tight joint. When the casket is ready to be placedin the vault or other repository, a suitable cement is applied to said seal and the lid ing a permanently sealed joint. A plurality of screws as 12 are'provided which pass up through corresponding orifices in the body flange and into alined sockets in the lid flange. These sockets are lined with bushing 13 formed oflead or some similar soft material with which the points of the screws engage and embedded in the material of the body flange is a metallic plate or washer 14 for each screw through which said screw passes and against which its head engages. This plate lt and the washer 13 prevent the screw from breaking or marring the composition and furthermore providing securing anchors therefor and when the screws are inserted in place they are invisible. One end of the lid is provided with a transparent pane 15 whose margins are glued to the lid so as to form air and water tight A joints and a section 2' of said lid opposite l heads engage.

said pane is'hinged to-the lid 2 so that it may be readily opened and closed.

When desired the section 2 may be secured in closed position by means of any suitable form of latch as 20 carried by the free edge thereof.`

What I claim is: Y

1. A casket comprising a body and lid formed of reinforcing woven wire fabric embedded in a cementitious covering, the rim of said body and said lid each being formed into a continuous flange, one of said flanges having a groove, a rib carried by the other flange conforming in shape to and fitting in said groove, the body ange being provided with a plurality of orifices and the lid flange being provided with a corresponding number of alined sockets, washers formed of soft metal lining said sockets, securing screws passing through said orifices and engaging with said washers to secure the lid and body together, and metallic plates embedded in the body through which the screws pass and against which their 2. A casket comprising a body and lid embedded in a cementitious covering the formed of reinforcing woven wire fabric rims of said body and lidbeing forme into continuous coperating flanges one of said anges being provided with a groove around the same, a yieldable seal in said groove a rib carried by the other ange conforming 1n shape to and fitting in said groove, wooden molding embedded in the inner end of said body, the body iiange being provided with orifices and the under side of the lid flange having a corresponding number of sockets, soft metallic lining in the sockets, securing screws passing through said oriices from underneath and engaging with said lining said screws being concealed from view underneath the body flange, and metallic plates embedded in the underside of the body fiange through which the screws pass and against which their heads en age.

In testimony whereof I have signe my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EMANUEL W. HARTMAN. `Witnesses:

GEO. M. WooDwARD', C. S. PRESTON. 

